Pinch pleat
Crisp, evenly spaced pleats stitched into the heading, for a tailored look on a pole or a track. Often paired with a matching Roman blind or a trim along the leading edge.
Made-to-measure curtains, handmade in Essex.
Curtains
Curtains chosen with you, made by hand in our Howe Street workroom, then fitted and professionally dressed so they fall properly from the first day.
Made-to-measure curtains are where Sew & Sew began, and they're still at the heart of what we do. We help you choose the heading, the fabric, the lining and the pole or track, then cut, sew and finish every pair ourselves. When they're hung, we dress them: setting each fold by hand so the curtains drop in even pleats, and leaving you with advice on keeping them looking their best.
There's no window we'd rule out. Bays, French doors, arched and very tall windows, uneven ceilings and wide runs of glazing are all part of the work. We're bespoke curtain makers with our own workroom. We're based at Howe Street, near Chelmsford, and work mainly across Essex and the Home Counties. We take on larger projects further afield, and we work in London too.
Every pair is made to measure, so the price depends on the size of the window, the fabric and the heading. Email us rough dimensions for a guide price.
- Made in
- Our Howe Street workroom, Essex
- Includes
- Measuring, making, fitting and dressing; poles and tracks supplied and fitted
- Fabrics
- From our fabric library
Headings and finishes
The detail is in the heading.
Wave heading
Soft, continuous S-shaped folds that run along a track and stack neatly back from the glass. Recent work includes lined wave curtains in a Dedar wool, hung with a Villa Nova voile behind.
Euro pleat
A softer pleat gathered at the very top of the heading, so the folds open out below. A relaxed alternative to a classic pinch pleat.
Sheers and voiles
Light, fine fabrics made to measure in their own right, or layered behind curtains on a second track. They soften a large window while letting the daylight in.
Interlined curtains
An interlining is a soft extra layer sewn between the face fabric and the lining. It gives curtains more body and a fuller, heavier fall.
Pelmets
Shaped, scalloped or covered pelmets made in our workroom, over curtains or a Roman blind, often finished with a fringe or contrast trim.
Layers
What's inside a curtain.
A curtain can be made with more than one layer. Here's what each one is, and where it sits.
- Face fabric: the fabric you choose, on the room side.
- Lining: a plainer cloth on the back of the curtain, on the window side.
- Interlining: a soft layer between the face fabric and the lining.
- Blackout lining: a specialist lining, on the window side.
Which layers your curtains have is decided with you at the visit.
"I was really stuck for ideas on how to stylishly cover a huge expanse of window, without blocking the light. They came up with the perfect solution - it looks amazing!"
No window too tricky
Tall, wide and wonderfully awkward.
Tall and awkward windows are some of our favourite jobs. We've made curtains for 12ft arched windows, then dressed them so every fold hung straight. In an old farmhouse we hung a track levelled under a wonky farmhouse ceiling, so pinch-pleat curtains and sheers could hang true. Bays and French doors get the same care. For a guide price, see how to measure for curtains and blinds, then send us rough sizes.
For the largest windows, motorised curtain tracks mean the curtains open and close without being handled. You can pair them with a made-to-measure Roman blind, and finish the room with matching cushions and bed runners.
To see them in finished rooms, look at the gold curtains on a curved pole around a bay, the floor-to-ceiling curtains on 12ft arched windows or the dusky pink curtains with printed floral borders. There are more in the wave curtains under oak beams and the curtains to arched French doors, and you can see more tall and arched windows in the gallery or browse all our curtains in the gallery. Or visit the Howe Street showroom (by appointment) to see fabrics and headings in person.
Questions
Questions about curtains
It depends on the size of the window, the fabric and the heading, because every pair is made to measure. Email us rough dimensions and we'll give you a guide price. Photos help, but they aren't essential. Our measuring guide shows what to measure.
Pinch pleat, wave and Euro pleat. We'll help you choose the one that suits the window, the fabric and the room.
Yes. We've made curtains for arched windows more than 12ft tall, bays, French doors and rooms with uneven ceilings. Tell us about the window and we'll work out the best way to dress it.
Once the curtains are hung, we set and train the folds by hand so they fall properly. We'll also give you advice on keeping them looking their best.
Yes. We supply and fit poles and tracks to suit the heading and the window. Recent jobs have used Silent Gliss tracks and Bradley Collection poles.
